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Toronto Sun
4 days ago
- Politics
- Toronto Sun
EDITORIAL: The quiet dignity of stable government
Britain's King Charles III delivers the Speech from the Throne next to Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney during the opening the first session of the 45th Parliament of Canada at the Senate of Canada in Ottawa on May 27, 2025. Photo by BLAIR GABLE / POOL/AFP via Getty Images As Canada basks in the afterglow of a flying Royal visit, now's a good time to assess the merits of the constitutional monarchy. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The colourful pomp and ceremony that accompanied the opening of Parliament and the speech from the throne underscored that, as Canadians, we change governments with quiet dignity. The ancient rituals, though, remind us of the sometimes difficult path which has led us to a stable and democratic country. Even before King Charles III delivered the throne speech, the newly elected Speaker of the House of Commons was dragged to his chair. This symbolizes a time when the Speaker reported to the King — and was occasionally executed for delivering bad news. Journalists always sit behind the Speaker so he can't influence their reporting. The doors to the House of Commons are slammed before the Usher of the Black Rod can lead MPs to the Senate for the King's speech. Parliamentary theatre, sure. But an important reminder that our rights and privileges aren't a given. Sometimes you have to fight for them. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The visit by Charles and Queen Camilla made news around the world. It served to emphasize this country's strong connections to the U.K. and other nations of the Commonwealth, an organization of two billion people worldwide, of which we are a senior member. Importantly, it sent a message to our neighbours to the south that we don't bow to threats. President Donald Trump's petulant response was to post that we can have access to his 'Golden Dome' for $61 billion — or for free as a U.S. state. Thanks, but no. In an 1865 speech to Parliament, Canada's first prime minister, Sir John A. Macdonald, outlined the need for a strong Canada. Of the U.S., he said, '… the president, during his term of office, is in great measure a despot, a one-man power, with the command of the naval and military forces, with a large amount of patronage … and with veto power … perfectly uncontrolled by responsible advisers.' Canada, meanwhile, has the stability of a constitutional monarchy, where the king is head of state and the prime minister is head of government. That fine balance served us well last week and sent a message that Canada is strong and resilient. And it's not alone in the world. Editorial Cartoons Sports Canada Toronto & GTA Columnists
Toronto Sun
28-05-2025
- Business
- Toronto Sun
OPINION: Carney's ‘very different approach' will further erode Ottawa's finances
Prime Minister Mark Carney listens as King Charles III opens the 45th Parliament of Canada by delivering the Speech from the Throne during an official visit to Canada on May 27, 2025 in Ottawa. Photo by Chris Jackson - Pool / Getty Images This week, after five months off and one federal election, Parliament starts a new session in Ottawa. And federal finances should be a top priority. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Too much of anything can be harmful. In recent years, the size of the Canadian government and the government debt burden have grown too large, harming economic growth and living standards. When the government grows too large, it begins taking over functions and resources that are better left to the private sector. Consider this. From 2014 to 2024 , total government spending in Canada (federal, provincial and local) increased from 38.4% as a share of gross domestic product (GDP) to 44.7% — the second-fastest increase among 40 advanced countries worldwide. Consequently, the total size of government in Canada increased from 25th highest to 17th highest (out of the same 40 countries). Again, this means that government now essentially controls a significantly larger share of our economy. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. During the same 10-year period, Canada's gross government debt (federal, provincial and local) increased from 85.5% (as a share of GDP) to 110.8% — the third-fastest increase among the 40 countries. As such, Canada's debt ranking among the 40 countries increased from 14th highest to 7th highest. Why should Canadians care? A large government debt burden lands squarely on the backs of Canadians. For example, governments and the private sector compete for the limited pool of savings available for borrowing. As governments increase the amount they borrow, fewer savings are available for the private sector. All else equal, this drives up interest costs and makes it more expensive for families to take out a mortgage or businesses to attract investment. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Moreover, debt accumulation today will likely mean higher taxes in the future. Indeed, a 16-year-old Canadian in 2025 will pay an estimated $29,663 over their lifetime in additional personal income taxes (that they otherwise wouldn't pay) due to ballooning federal debt. In other words, by accumulating debt today, the government is disproportionately burdening younger generations with higher taxes in the future. Of course, when talking about Canada's overall debt load, the federal government plays a big role. The Carney government says it will 'build Canada into the strongest economy in the G7' by employing a 'very different approach' to federal fiscal policy than its predecessor. Yet the Carney campaign platform promises to add to Ottawa's mountain of debt (which currently stands at a projected $2.2 trillion) by running huge annual deficits until at least 2028/29, even outspending the Trudeau government's previous plan . This is not a 'very different approach.' The Carney government plans to table its first budget in the fall. As Parliament resumes, let's hope the new prime minister shows real leadership by charting a clear path towards fiscal sustainability and stronger economic growth. Jake Fuss and Grady Munro are analysts at the Fraser Institute Read More Toronto & GTA Canada Canada Tennis Music
Toronto Sun
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Toronto Sun
Experts say royal visit was meant to send a message to Trump — and to London
Published May 28, 2025 • 3 minute read King Charles and Queen Camilla speak with Prime Minister Mark Carney during the opening of the first session of the 45th Parliament of Canada at the Senate of Canada in Ottawa on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. Photo by VICTORIA JONES /POOL / AFP via Getty Images OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney meant to send a message to U.S. President Donald Trump by inviting King Charles to Ottawa this week, foreign policy experts say — but Trump may not have been the only target audience. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Multiple experts in foreign policy say they're convinced Carney arranged the whirlwind royal visit to reaffirm Canada's sovereignty and distinct political culture before a global audience in response to Trump's ruinous trade policy and repeated calls for Canada's annexation. Roy Norton, a fellow at the Balsillie School of International Affairs, said he also doubts Carney would have invited the King had British Prime Minister Keir Starmer not made the controversial decision to invite the president for a second state visit to the United Kingdom. That invitation was formally issued by King Charles but would have been offered on Starmer's advice. 'I think Trump isn't the only audience internationally, but I think Trump's an important one,' Norton said. 'Starmer is also on notice as he's been reminded that the King has these responsibilities beyond simply serving the interests of the United Kingdom.' Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Carney told Britain's SkyNews in an interview earlier this month that Canadians 'weren't impressed' by London's invitation to Trump, 'given the circumstance.' Norton said the visit also may have been intended to remind the King of his own responsibilities to Canada. While many Canadians were disappointed that the King made no direct statement pushing back on Trump's annexation talk, the throne speech he read in Ottawa emphasized Canada's sovereignty and his close personal relationship with the country. While Trump was relatively quiet about the royal visit itself — which saw the King welcomed by cheering crowds in Ottawa _ he called again Tuesday for Canada to become part of the United States. In a post on social media, Trump said Canada would pay billions of dollars to take part in his unbuilt Golden Dome missile defence system if 'they remain a separate, but unequal, Nation, but will cost ZERO DOLLARS if they become our cherished 51st State.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Fen Hampson, a Carleton University professor and an expert on Canada-U.S. relations, said that while he thinks the royal visit was 'all about Trump,' the president remains 'immune to messaging or persuasion of any kind.' 'In extraordinary times, you have to pull out all the stops and call on friends to send a strong message that Canada is not for sale, now, tomorrow or ever,' he said. Hampson said he doesn't think the visit itself did much to unify Canadians beyond the effect Trump is having already. 'It's the threat of Trump that's unifying Canadians, not the King,' he said. This was only the third time a sitting monarch had read the speech from the throne in Canada. Queen Elizabeth II did so in 1957 and 1977. A Liberal government official, speaking on background, told The Canadian Press that the goal of the royal visit was to help Canadians reconnect with their cultural and political roots at a time when the country's sovereignty is being threatened. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Daniel Beland, director of the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada, said the visit served as 'a way to draw attention to the distinctiveness of our political institutions.' 'It's also about PR and about raising the profile of Canada and, in a way, of the government's policies,' he said, noting that the visit received international attention. 'It's certainly sending a message about the fact that Canada is in a way not isolated, that it has its own identity.' Asked by reporters Tuesday if he thinks the throne speech will help the federal government in its negotiations with the Trump administration, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said it's hard to tell what moves the president. 'I think it's important that the world recognize that we have those ancient traditions and the Americans recognize that we are an independent and free country that will make its own decisions,' Poilievre said. — With files from Craig Lord Read More Canada Music Editorial Cartoons Tennis Crime
Japan Today
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Japan Today
King Charles says Canada 'strong and free'
Britain's King Charles III delivers a speech from the Throne to open the first session of the 45th Parliament of Canada By Michel COMTE King Charles III hailed Canada as "strong and free" as he delivered a major speech to open parliament in Ottawa against the backdrop of U.S. President Donald Trump's threats to take over the country. "Democracy, pluralism, the rule of law, self-determination, and freedom are values which Canadians hold dear, and ones which the government is determined to protect," Charles said, adding that Canada was facing a "critical moment." To loud applause, he drew on the national anthem as he said "the true north is indeed strong and free!" Prime Minister Mark Carney invited the 76-year-old British monarch -- Canada's head of state as it is a Commonwealth member -- to the capital, accompanied by Queen Camilla. The king has never publicly commented on Trump's repeated talk of making Canada the 51st U.S. state, but his language was closely watched for veiled references. Although the speech was read by the king as if it were his own words, it was written by the prime minister's office to set out the government's priorities to "build Canada strong" and how it aims to achieve them. In addition to his annexation threats, Trump has also launched tariff wars, particularly targeting Canada. "The system of open global trade that, while not perfect, has helped to deliver prosperity for Canadians for decades, is changing," Charles said, in cautious words. "We must be clear-eyed: the world is a more dangerous and uncertain place than at any point since the Second World War." The speech was delivered in the Senate -- a former railway station that has been converted while parliament undergoes renovations -- with past prime ministers, Supreme Court justices and Indigenous leaders in feather headdresses in attendance. "You see the enthusiasm for our institutions," Carney told reporters, pointing to cheering crowds that awaited the king. "Our sovereignty is strong." King Charles's "speech from the throne" was the first by a monarch in nearly half a century. It was delivered by Charles's mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, in 1957 and 1977. "In terms of symbolism, it's extraordinary," said Felix Mathieu, a politics professor at the University of Quebec in Outaouais. Tuesday's event, Mathieu said, was a message to Trump to show him that "Canada is not alone in this fight." Carney has vowed to oversee the biggest transformation of Canada's economy since the end of the Second World War to enable it to "stand up" to Trump. Charles said in the speech that Canada would also "build new alliances" and seek out "reliable trading partners and allies around the world," while reinvesting in its military and Arctic defense. "Canada is ready to build a coalition of like-minded countries that share its values, that believe in international co-operation and the free and open exchange of goods, services, and ideas," he said. Thousands gathered along a parade route for a chance to see the monarch arriving in a carriage escorted by Royal Canadian Mounted Police horses. The atmosphere was festive, with people waving Canadian flags, a 21-gun salute and a fighter jet flyover. The king stopped several times to speak with people along a security fence before and after his speech. Kirsten Hanson, 44, said she welcomed the king's show of support as the pressure grows from the United States. "If there's anything that he can do to demonstrate Canada's sovereignty I think that that's fantastic," she told AFP. "Nobody wants to be absorbed into the U.S." "Elbows up," said Marion Hand, 88, in reference to Carney's battle cry in the face of Trump's annexation threats. She traveled from Mississauga, Ontario for the event and was visibly giddy after shaking hands with the king and queen. © 2025 AFP
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
King Charles visits Canada: How important do you feel the royal tour is for the country? Was the throne speech impactful?
King Charles and Queen Camilla arrived in Ottawa, Ont., on Monday, commencing their much anticipated visit as it marks the monarch's first official trip to Canada since ascending the throne in 2022. The royal visit is significant for its timing — happening after Prime Minister Mark Carney took office amid tense U.S.-Canada relations — but also marks a noteworthy moment for the King, who becomes the first reigning monarch since 1957 to deliver the speech from the throne. As the two-day trip symbolizes a reaffirmation of Canada's constitutional monarchy and its unique national identity, Yahoo News Canada wants users to weigh in on key topics of discussion surrounding this event. The timing of the King and Queen's visit is seen as a strategic move by the Canadian prime minister, after U.S. President Donald Trump has consistently undermined Canada's sovereignty with his "51st state" rhetoric. In an expert's view, by inviting the monarch to open the 45th Canadian Parliament, Carney aims to reinforce Canada's deep-rooted ties to the British Commonwealth and the country's unique political system. I think that one of the motives of PM Carney to invite the King is to put more heft into the idea that Canada is a sovereign country with deep roots to one of the oldest allies beyond the US and is de facto a signal to Trump that Canada could never be for Mendes, constitutional expert, University of Ottawa Charles and Camilla's visit also puts in spotlight the ongoing chatter surrounding the role of the monarchy in Canada and how Canadians feel about it. Fresh polling by Pollara Strategic Insights leading up to the two-day event revealed a warming attitude towards the constitutional monarchy, with 48 per cent of Canadians giving the King's throne speech a nod and viewing it as good for Canada's sovereignty. However, an Angus Reid Institute public opinion poll showed 83 per cent of Canadians "don't care" that King Charles will deliver throne speech. Despite the apathy, more respondents said monarch's speech is a "good thing" than "bad." During their stay the royal couple will take part in a number of ceremonial and cultural events celebrating Canada's diverse heritage — including the country's Indigenous, French and British roots. The activities are designed to strengthen the bond between Canadian citizens and the Crown, reinstating an emphasis on unity and national pride. The 76-year-old monarch's commitment to seeing through his royal duties seems evident in this visit, despite undergoing cancer treatment. Therefore, symbolizing Canada's enduring relationship with the Crown and reassertion of the Canadian sovereignty on the global stage.
